ANZ Posts Best Annual Result in Years

The bank lifted cash profit and shareholder returns, declaring a final dividend of 83 cents and a total dividend of $1.66 for the year.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Corporate Finance

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ANZ reported its best annual result in years, with cash profit up and shareholder returns rising. The bank declared a final dividend of 83 cents, bringing its total dividend for the year to $1.66.

Why it matters

The result reflects disciplined management of margins, capital and costs at a time when competition for capital has intensified and global interest rates have risen. Australian borrowers and shareholders are directly affected by how the bank manages those pressures.

ANZ recorded a total credit impairment charge of $582 million and generated $874 million in gross cost savings, lowering its cost-to-income ratio to 49.2 per cent. Its total dividend of $1.66 matched fiscal 2025, and the full-year cash profit figure was not reported in the source.

The players

ANZ

ANZ is one of Australia's four major banks, offering retail, business and institutional banking services across the country and internationally.

Nuno Matos

Nuno Matos is the chief executive of ANZ, who joined the bank in May 2025 and oversaw the 2030 strategic plan.

The details

Chief executive Nuno Matos, who joined in May 2025, said all five priorities of the 2030 strategic plan released five months later were on track. ANZ reset its internal culture, fast-tracked the integration of Suncorp Bank, upgraded its digital offering, cut duplication and costs, and shored up risk controls.

May 2025: Nuno Matos joins ANZ as chief executive.
October 2025: ANZ releases its 2030 strategic plan, five months after Matos joined.
8 November 2026: ANZ announces its annual result and final dividend.

Market Dynamics

The result comes after Australia's interest rate rise cycle began in February 2026, with five rises since then. Rising rates and intensifying competition for capital to fund data centres, government spending and the energy transition have shaped the environment in which ANZ delivered its result.

Shareholders received a total dividend of $1.66 for the year, including a final dividend of 83 cents. Borrowers and savers with ANZ should note that the bank's margin management and rising interest rates shape the rates they are offered.

The takeaway

Strong bank results often reflect a balance between margin management and cost control, which affects both dividends and customer pricing. Watching how rate changes flow through to loan and deposit rates can help customers plan their finances.